Here are our 5 commandments we want you to understand well. Please read these all the way.

1. Focus on Less, Not More

Are you overwhelmed by the sheer number of problems you need to solve? Without that, do you worry if you'll ever get a shot at Google or Facebook? Don't worry. It's a misleading thought.

When you start your prep, focus on 100-150 core problems. Interview Camp provides these problems. Focus on Mastering them completely. What does mastery mean? It means you should be able to finish coding them in 2-3 minutes. Sounds too ambitious? That's because you're probably focusing on 500 problems at once. If you focus on less problems and repeat them, you get so familiar that they become second nature to you. And that's where the magic starts.

Once you've mastered these problems, you've mastered Depth. Now, you can focus on Breadth - looking at a large number of problems. And the best part - after these 100 problems, you won't need to write code for those new problems - you can just find the solution and move on. That's because you're already good at translating solutions to code - you did that when you mastered those 100 problems.

80% of the value is in mastering Depth. It's where most people go wrong. They keep solving Leetcode problems to no end, and they never develop mastery.

2. Study One Resource at a time

Are you overwhelmed by all the resources to study? Don't be.

It's very easy to get distracted with all the resources out there. Ask anyone how they're preparing and they'll name at least 3 resources. Most of the time, they keep jumping from one to another. Tired of a book? Start looking at some Youtube videos. Tired of Youtube? Try doing problems online.

It becomes a never-ending quest of you trying to please your distracted mind.

And then, here's the feeling everyone gets: After a couple of months, you feel like you've barely made progress.

Let's take an alternate reality. Let's say you focused on one resource only. In 2 months, you probably would've finished it. You would've learned everything it had to offer.

Don't jump around resources. Finish one all the way, then move to the next.

3. Use CoderPad. Don't run test cases on Leetcode.

Are you constantly frustrated because your code doesn't pass on Leetcode? Don't be. Use CoderPad instead.

This is one of the biggest time-suckers in your prep. When you run test cases on Leetcode, you're trying to pass every small test case, which won't matter in a real interview. Interviewers don't expect your code to pass every test case. They expect you to go over a good set of cases, but that's at most 7-10 cases, not the 100 or so Leetcode wants you to pass!

And it's stressful! You're constantly frustrated about your code not passing!

Instead, use CoderPad or something similar. They're a more realistic simulation of an interview.

Note: The only exception is if you're given a pre-screening test like HackerRank, which will run all cases. You can always practice that later, once you've mastered depth. No need to prematurely waste time debugging exhaustive test cases.

4. Repeat Code Twice Right Away

Are you stressed because when you come back to a problem you've solved before, you can't solve it again? Here's how to fix that.

As soon as you write code for a solution, write it again. Yes, the same code.

The first time you're coding a problem, your mind is thinking in a lot of things -

> Am I solving the problem right so far?

> What's the next step for this algorithm?

> How do I code this line?

During this time, you don't even know if your code will work. You're focusing on translating logic to code. Once you're done verifying it, all the ambiguity is gone. You know this thing works. Now is the time to solidify it in your brain. How do you do that? Just by coding it again. And no need to hide the code you wrote, feel free to look at it. When you code it the second time, you start getting used to the function structure. You appreciate why it works.

Now, code it a third time. By now, it has become second nature to you.

This is the single technique that can completely change the game for you. We've recommended this again and again to our students, and it has worked marvels.

5. Spaced Repetition

Repeating code is great. But if you really want to retain this knowledge long term, come back to the same problem in 3 days. Code it again. Code it twice if you want to. Doesn't matter. It's easy now.

Then, come back to it in 7 days. You'll notice that you're just good at this stuff.

Then, come back in 2 weeks. You'll see the difference. You'll be way more confident, and you'll start seeing patterns in similar problems.

Those were our 5 Commandments. We really hope this dispels many myths that are prevalent in interview prep today. The internet sadly encourages doing as many problems as you can. The truth is, you need to be organized and focus on the important things - instead of blindly solving problems.